Falls represent one of the most fearsome risks for the elderly. At the very least a fall represents the onset of loss of independence. At the other extreme, a fall initiates life's endgame, lasting anywhere from hours to a few months, depending on circumstances and severity. For example, even if an elderly person is using the most sophisticated available technology, if the person falls and goes unconscious, the person may lie in one place for minutes or hours until death comes.
Likewise, particularly for those suffering from acute or chronic illness, including various forms of heart and circulatory disorders that yield dizziness, or for those who are at elevated risk for illness or injury, including those who suffer neuropathies such as tingling and loss of sensation in the feet and legs, the automatic detection and automated reporting of life-threatening falls, could mean the difference between life and death.
Fall detection is desirable as part of care programs for the elderly, the infirm, and for people with certain chronic or acute physical or psychiatric disorders, in some cases because they are taking psychotropic medications that can cause dizziness and disorientation. A fall may provoke an acute medical crisis. Particularly among the elderly or those who are hospitalized, having fallen recently is commonly accepted as a significant risk factor for additional falls, which may yield injury and declining vigor and health.
One conventional fall detection device has the user press a call button to indicate a fall. Other conventional fall detection devices send a signal when the person's orientation has changed to a horizontal position. A third type of detection device uses a sensor, such as an accelerometer, and forwards the data to a station, such as a nursing station, where a person interprets the data to determine if a fall has occurred. A fourth type of detection device uses a 60 Hz sampling rate with a fast Fourier transform and classifier to discern the near-instantaneous pattern of contact with a horizontal surface during a fall from the patterns of other motions.